Life is full of surprises, that’s for sure! As a child I often dreamed of the future (I had plans of becoming a professional ballerina, despite being 5’8″ tall and finding the pain of pointe shoes slightly unbearable), and never envisioned my life at 38 to include these gems:
Becoming a Skier – My first experience skiing was a disaster. A complete and total disaster. We went to Swiss Valley in Jones, MI on a class field trip in 7th grade, and after an hour on the bunny hill, we were turned loose to ski the intermediate and advanced slopes. My first run down was terrifying – I hadn’t mastered turning or stopping, and had no idea how to do either. I’m lucky I didn’t end up in the hospital; I relied on the barricade at the bottom of the hill to stop. I left the ski hill knowing that I hated skiing and would never be any good at it.
When I met by husband Kevin in 2000, he had been skiing since childhood and taught me how to ski (including that oh-so-important skill of stopping!) and bought me a pair of my own. All 3 of our children can ski (well, Igor snowboards) and our youngest, 6-year-old Dominic is finishing up his 2nd year as a member of Timber Ridge’s Junior Racing Team. I love skiing now, and spend as much time outdoors in the winter as a I do in the summer (maybe even more??). I logged 15 visits to the slopes this season – my 13-year-old self would be stunned.
Becoming a Morning Person – who knew it was possible? I surely didn’t. I am naturally a night owl, and come from a long lineage of night owls – my mom and dad still have the ability to watch an enthralling movie until 2am. I loved Saturdays because I could sleep in until 10am and would often feel like I was drugged when I tried to wake up “early”. But last year I stumbled upon a life-changing book called The Morning Miracle by Hal Elrod that put me on the path to early rising. I realized that I could be so much more productive, and really enhance the quality of my life by waking early. So it’s Saturday, and I was up a little after 6am today.
Becoming a Small Business Owner – I studied Math in college, and managed to get a minor in Dance (my third audition was the charm that got me into that department), and after graduation I went to work as an actuary (rate-maker) for a large insurance company. (I know it sounds incredibly boring, but for a nerd like me it was actually a lot of fun!) The thought of being a business owner was not something I even considered. But… here I am – and it’s fascinating, challenging, and captivating. It’s a bit of an obsession, to tell the truth, and completely unexpected.
(You can read more about the beginning of Pure Goat Soapworks here.)
What are some of the unexpected favorites in your life?
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